HARRY Arter revealed Cherries had accepted Fabio Borini’s apology for the lunging tackle which sparked an ugly brawl at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

Players from both camps squared up after the Sunderland frontman had dived in and cynically scythed down Cherries midfielder Lewis Cook in the 75th minute.

Arter, who had left Borini in a heap following a crunching but fair challenge in the first half, was quickly on the scene to remonstrate with the Italian international.

And following a free-for-all involving a host of players – which saw both linesmen take to the pitch – referee Stuart Attwell decided only to book Borini and Arter.

The incident took place before Joshua King popped up to score the only goal of the game, his 15th Premier League effort ultimately consigning the Black Cats to relegation.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Echo, midfielder Arter said: “It was just the passion of both teams wanting to win the game.

“I felt Borini had gone in a little high on Lewis and, from my angle, it was a really bad tackle.

“After the game, he said he had slipped and didn’t mean to have gone in the way he did.

“Judging by his reaction, he seemed quite sincere in his apologies. You always defend your team-mates and that was what I did.

“I was a little disappointed to get booked. Everyone saw it and it was almost like a 22-man brawl.

“To pick out one individual was quite strange but I had to take it on the chin, deal with it and make sure I didn’t get a second yellow card.”

Arter led from the front as victory all but secured Cherries’ top-flight status for a third successive season.

The 27-year-old added: “A lot of people probably assumed Sunderland were down before the game but, as professionals, the last thing they would have wanted would have been to go down with ease.

“In the past, the one thing we haven’t probably always matched up to is a hard battle but I felt we did.

"We showed a different side to us and were pleased with the win.

“They made it hard and battled very well. If they had played like that all season, I think they would probably have had more points on the board.

“Physically and on the ball, it was tough. It is a shame to see a club like Sunderland go down because I feel if they do things right in the summer, they would have a fantastic chance of coming straight back up.

“The manager has made it clear to us that he wants us to finish as high as we can and that is exactly what we will be doing.

“As players, we want to improve every year, both individually and collectively, and finishing higher in the table and having a better points tally would be a clear indication of that.”